No miracle to the Virgin of Guadalupe: Letters

There are two stories that surround the Virgin of Guadalupe: The official Catholic version, based on church dogma, which gives comfort to millions of the faithful; and the less well-known version, based on methodical scholastic investigation, which debunks the supernatural.

In colonial Mexico, the name “Juan Diego” was the equivalent of today’s “John Doe.” Thus, historians, some of whom are also Catholic priests, have concluded that he belongs exclusively to Mexican religious folklore.

Also, the events that culminated in Bishop Zumarraga’s viewing of the miraculous image imprinted on Juan Diego’s cape supposedly took place in 1531. Yet, the first recorded reference to the “miracle” didn’t happen until 1556 — 25 years later! Can you image the miraculous appearance of the Virgin Mary happening today — and church authorities not entering an official record of such an extraordinary event until 2038?

The “miraculous” image has been historically and scientifically proven to have been painted by a human artist. His name is recorded as Marcos Cipec de Aquino, an Aztec painter who was commissioned by Alonso de Montefur (the succeeding Bishop of Mexico City after the death of Zumarraga) to paint the image.

Competent historians, including Catholic clerical historians (Miguel Olimon, for example), are convinced that the Virgin of Guadalupe is a fabrication on a grand scale. They reason that after the conquest of Mexico by Spain, the Church needed an appealing and familiar Indian myth to convert the millions of pagan Mexican Indians.

Thus, the Church invented the Virgin of Guadalupe to replace Tonantzin, an Aztec goddess whom the Indians had worshipped for centuries.

And, in a maneuver to aid the Indians’ conversion from paganism to Catholicism, the Church built Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Basilica at Tepeyac, the very center of Tonantzin’s popular cult.

That ploy worked beyond the church’s wildest dreams! Even now, centuries later, the cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe is firmly entrenched in the Mexican culture.

— David Quintero, Monrovia

Let’s start televising all city council meetings

Welcome to West Covina’s new City Council members. I have a suggestion which will assure you instant popularity. Bring back televised council meetings. West Covina is one of the few, if not the only, cities in San Gabriel Valley not doing so. After many years, televised meetings were abruptly stopped in 2008 to “save the city money.” Soon after, Discover West Covina magazine started arriving by mail to all West Covina households. What savings? Our local community college has a talented communications department. Check with them.

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— Phyllis Hatch, West Covina

Those endearing liberals

How touching to have liberals reference the original intent of the Constitution. As opposed to their usual position that the original meaning is, well, meaningless. Letter writers Jerry Selmer, on record in this paper that religious views should be a private matter (except when they support his position), and Pam Wright, on record that today’s culture of widespread public profanity is no big deal, are up in arms over the fact that public entities often invite speakers to provide a prayer at the beginning of a session. Today’s vulgar culture and all its free speech doesn’t offend Ms. Wright, but by golly, invoking God’s blessings on a session of government sends her into fits and leads her to consult the Constitution!